To think Clarks have lost the plot?

[AudTheDeepMinded]

School shoe shopping today. Was shown school shoe for five-year old (size 10) from newest range. Lovely shoe, but fuck me £56. I don't spend this on my own shoes.
www.clarks.co.uk/c/Encode-Flash-Kid/p/26153466
AIBU to think Clarks have lost touch with the reality of what the majority of parents can afford. I don't mind paying for quality and a pair that will endure but £56 is surely completely ludicrous for a five year old? A pair of DM boots in the same size is only a fiver more.

[quote lurker101]@morriseysquif I saw it online, here’s a link to an article about the offer - should be useful for some parents www.google.co.uk/amp/s/metro.co.uk/2020/07/27/parents-can-swap-clarks-school-shoes-free-kids-grow-before-february-13044173/amp/[/quote]
That is so helpful, thank you!

As long as shoes are bought before 14 September.

i don't get the 'fell apart within a few months' thing either for cheaper shoes, never had that problem and the boys used to kick footballs as well as climb trees with their sisters wearing them.
guess we were just lucky

Clarks are one of those shops you only actually shop in at sale time .

yanbu. Just got absolutely fleeced at clarks and tbh they look no better than sainsbury's- were the kids often get shoes from that last well.

I'd subconsciously decided i will not buy from Clarks again. Such little options and availability, j begrudged paying £50 for dd when she didn't even like the shoes they had in her size. Felt dd2 needed them as she is starting school and buying "proper" shoes is the done thing. Should have given my head a wobble before reaching check out!

£56? wow that is shocking!
Outdoor life have some good shows in, got my son a pair of Sketches school shoes for £22 which lasted him all year, good shop tbh.

I stopped buying Clarks school shoes years ago - I think the quality is poor for the price, and we never had a pair last longer than a term. Also my dc all had huge feet so were in adult sizes from about Y5 onwards.

We always much preferred Start-Rite shoes, somehow Clarks were too chunky and clodhopper-ish for my small-footed nimble dc.

They know that many parents subscribe to the mantra of 'Clarks for shoes is a must'. They have no incentive to modify their business model as a result.

Quality is pretty poor for the price too. So glad DCs can wear leather black trainer type shoes at secondary and although expensive they last far longer than Clarks rubbish

30 years ago my Daughters first school shoes were over £30, family allowance paid for them. My Neice has just had a whinge about the price of her Sons shoes, as i pointed out she pays just about the same every month for mobile phone contract !

Clarks are expensive, cheap shite.
The DCs have slow growing feet and they regularly used to fall apart long before they were out-grown, usually disintegrating stitching, although skimpy velcro over DS1's high arch was another problem area. DS1 is not sporty and doesn't wear through them heavily.

In recent years, we've been buying Geox through an independent store and until DS2 matched DS1in size, they had enough life in them to pass down. They're about £46 per pair, plus the shop has a good loyalty scheme.

If you look at the full range you have bought the most expensive pair of boys school shoes, probably because they've got flashing lights in them. Most are "only" £42-44.

I used to wear clarks children shoes as a university student.I am a UK size 3.5 so can fit into their shoes meant for 8-12 year olds. I think it was about 20 quid then

the quality is really not very good, and it only lasted a few months of daily wear. I wear clarks adult womens boots which i get from the outlet and the quality is far superior. I am not sure about children's shoes but I have tried other shoe shops (aldo, deichmann, office) and the quality is comparable with clarks children shoes, in other words, terrible.

It’s doubly outrageous since kids shoes are zero rated.

So adults shoes that cost £56 will include ~£9 of vat for the government that Clerks won’t be getting, whereas for kids shoes they are getting the whole amount.

YANBU. I got DS a brilliant shoe last year (GEOX savage) for only £50. They look very over priced IMO.

@emmadilemma I haven't, I didn't buy them. But even if I had I still think an extra £16 for the lights is completely bonkers!

Ones without movement-sensitive LEDs are cheaper... Get them
Measured and then buy from the online Clarks Outlet store. About a third cheaper. All boys school shoes looks basically the same so it really makes v little difference if you buy last season’s style.

@sonypony yes, I've bought Geox before and they lasted so well they were passed down! Which just reinforces how deluded Clarks are with their pricing.

@okokWhatsNext how to buy cheaper shoes is not really the point of this thread though, which is along the lines of how Clarks pricing is unreasonable in my opinion.

I think you've lost track of how much quality shoes cost. You can't get good quality adults shoes (and by quality I mean real leather, with leather insoles and a decent quality stitched on sole) for less than clarkes kids shoes. You get what you pay for. If you want really good quality shoes from continental brands like Ricosta, frodo, Primigi, Geox, petasil etc. then you will pay the same or even more. If you buy shoes in the supermarket you get supermarket quality.

We love geox in our house. They always fit my kids, as long as I know the size (you can measure your own kids feet with a tape measure), so I can order them online, shop around or get them from eBay. They last well too. Sometimes I now do the same with Keen’s for my huge-footed DS.

So much happier since I’ve been doing this as I have two kids who absolutely hate shopping. There is no hell like a shoe shop at back to school time 😱

TOUGHEES

I have just had a look and can't find their UK wesbite although I can find some people who distribute them. They are made in South Africa, are half the price of Clakes, similar classic styles and brilliant quality. Both my children wore them all through primary and we became almost evangelical about them. Get your feet measure in Clakes and spend your money on Toughees.

@FreekStar I really haven't. The three pairs I bought today were between £40 and £46 pounds, which I was happy to pay. But £56 for a pair of small child's shoes is outrageous, especially as people have pointed out there should be no VAT payable on children's shoes.

@SlightlyJaded thanks, will check these out for next time, they sound good.

I bought DS1's school shoes in Next last year, thinking I would steer clear of Clarks' inflated prices for a change. Unfortunately they had to be returned after less than 4 weeks. They were a complete mess and the sole and started to come away from the upper on one shoe. The shop assistant did a double take when she saw them. DS isn't hard on shoes. He just wanders around the playground chatting to his friend about Fortnite. No football, climbing, rough and tumble or anything.

For DS2, I went to Marks and Spencer and his lasted less than a term. Unlike his brother, however, he is very much into scrabbling about in the dirt with his mates and climbing trees, fences or anything else that looks like it might damage his shoes a little bit more. He also uses them as a brake when he's on his scooter. He needs a pair with steel toecaps!

So, it was back to Clarks. I do think Clarks' quality has gone down a bit, but overall we've usually managed to get most of the school year out of a pair. I managed to get DS2 a couple of pairs (one for his current size and another for next size up) from Clarks Outlet online which were much cheaper.